Silas smiles to break the tension he is feeling. He hands the slate to Yosarni for him to study the warp route.
"I think our business here is concluded. A pleasure doing business with you, Tybalt."
Atellus bows. "Until next time, Captain Silas," he says before turning and making his way deeper into the station.
"That...almost seemed TOO easy."
"Yes, too easy. Watch out for treachery."
"Form up. We return to the ship."
Nodding, Ludicus takes point, one hand casually resting on the handle of one of his bolt pistols as he walks slightly ahead of the others.
His eyes glint dangerously as he scans the crowd for potential threats.
Malachi sighs, clearly not looking forward to the thought of returning to the ship so soon. He walks briskly to the captain and whispers, 'Lord-Captain, the last warp voyage certainly was a bit stressful. Might I suggest that we stay on Footfall for a cycle or two to let the crew burn off some steam. Also, there is the matter of the "trophy" in your possession, perhaps there is someone on Footfall which may provide some information on its purpose.'
"I am a bit wary of our Mister Tybalt and his associates, Father. I prefer we put some light years between us and them. Don't worry we'll take a slow leisurely burn to the translation point."
I'm good.
Not all of these satellites orbit 12f itself; many are secondary bodies orbiting the world's own satellites, creating a complex sub-system out on the system's edge. Moons orbit moons in an incredibly complex stellar ballet, making passage between them unpredictable and dangerous as tidal forces radically re-align with the ever-shifting configurations of the satellites. While 12f itself is uninhabitable, at least five of its moons are thought to have a breathable atmosphere. the remainder have too weak a gravity to sustain their own atmospheres, and any gasses exuded from these bodies are stolen away by their larger siblings.
The sheer unpredictable nature of this system-within-a-system is one of the main reasons its bodies remain all but unknown. Capitol vessels are in danger if they linger too long within the Abundus 12/f sub-system, meaing expeditions to any of the satellites must be conducted by long-range reconnaissance in smaller, more nimble vessels. It is unknown how many ships have floundered amongst the complex tides of Abundus/12f, for a vessel can be becalmed in an instant as it is locked in the gravity neutral "Lagrange Point" between several bodies, and then expelled violently the next as another mass exerts its capricious influence.
Egaria Omega is the only world within the system known to have been the target of sustained exploration, possibly because it is the largest of 12f's unruly children and has a breathable atmosphere. In common with most of the dead worlds of the Egarian Dominion, Egaria Omega is an arid, windswept planet, the majority of its surface dominated by wind-scoured plains and twisted mountain ranges. The skies are choked with airborne dust, which gathers in vast storms that make much of the surface perilous to explore at best, and impossible to survive in without a sturdy survival suit at worst. With so many bodies soaring through its skies, there is no easily predicted day/night cycle on Egaria Omega. Even when the star is high in the sky, it is eclipsed several times a day, and when it is not, its light reflects from dozens of smaller bodies, casting moving shadows across the moonlit night.
Over the centuries, countless adventurers have lost their lives on Egaria Omega, drawn there by the lure of the Cold Trade. Few have ever returned, and those that have rant and rave about voices on the storm, their every waking moment haunted by the dreams of a long dead xenos race. Very few descriptions of the world are to be found, and certainly none of them reliable, meaning that any expedition seeking to gain a foothold on Egaria Omega will be forced to rely upon its own resources, or else heed the words of madmen.
.
.
.
For the first time in your careers, you find that the Warp journey is far less perilous than the void. The coordinates given to you, allow Yosarni to plot a swift and safe route through the Empyrean with ease. Once you translate back into normal space, however, your real test begins. The Egaria Abundus 12 system seems fine, though the light from its star is a little weak, but once you near the final world in its orbit, you realise your problem. Egaria Omega is not a world orbiting the Egaria star, it is a moon orbiting the sixth planet in the system, one of sixty-six others in fact. With so many solar bodies flying about this way and that, each with their own satellites, maneuvering a ship as large as the Adamant Will though it would be tantamount to suicide.
"Orders, Lord-Captain?" calls the helmsman.
By the emperor! This is above my paygrade to be sure...
"Helmsman, maintain position here. We shall deploy by shuttle."
"Master of Auspex, scan the system."
"Let me know if you find anything anomalous."
"Master-at-arms, assemble your escort squad."
Silas checks the data slate for any cipher he can use to contact his business partners on Egaria Omega.
"Initiate fortress protocol. Maintain void shields up and auspex vigilance."
Ludicus immediately gets his master sergeant on vox and order him to have two fire teams of 5 members each ready for escort duty.
"Have them outfitted with the assault rifles and standing by."
I want to make sure we have sufficient manpower, one squad can deply to guard the shuttle if nothing else.
The dataslate provided you designates the location of the site on the planet. The supposed Maze City is situated atop a wide, tall plateau straddling Egaria Omega's equator. There also frequencies for their vox once you get closer to the planet.
'Lord-Captain, shall I go down as well? Do you know what we're looking for down there?'
"Father, you shall join us. And yes I know what we're looking for down at Egaria Omega."
'Yes sir, I'll get my things and meet everyone at the shuttle.'
Malachi leaves the bridge and makes haste to his quarters. Along the way, he grabs an idle crewman to help him with his armor. After reacquainting himself with his flak armor, Malachi dons a custom-fitted tabard and puts on his sword belt, making sure a fresh power cell is in the hilt of the burning blade.
Malachi thanks the hapless spacer for his assistance and grabs an away-bag while making his way to the shuttle.
"It would be easy for something to hide in all this noise."
"Can't see a blessed thing. Too many gravity distortions."
Vorgen spends some time with the system readouts.
"So captain. Do we slink in on the Father William or do we put on an entrance and bring the Will into close orbit? The moons look intimidating but it is just a matter of orbital mechanics. Your call."
"So captain. Do we slink in on the Father William or do we put on an entrance and bring the Will into close orbit? The moons look intimidating but it is just a matter of orbital mechanics. Your call."
'Would it be possible to just destroy the moons with our cannons? There is no challenge that cannot be solved with the direct application of macro-batteries.'
"Wouldn't that just cause a massive field of debris to block our path? I admit I've never seen a moon be destroyed by concentrated fire, so it is only a guess."
'Would it be possible to just destroy the moons with our cannons? There is no challenge that cannot be solved with the direct application of macro-batteries.'
"Wouldn't that just cause a massive field of debris to block our path? I admit I've never seen a moon be destroyed by concentrated fire, so it is only a guess."
"It could be done....By a fleet.....over the course of a year or two. I suppose the Will Could make a good start, if we choose to spend the next decade carefully nudging orbits."
Under his breath Muddwellers.
Under his breath Muddwellers.
'Well, if it isn't possible to destroy them, I guess we'll have to go around them.'
"Lord Captain Militant, the squads stand ready to depart at your command."
"Prepare to board the shuttle, gents."
"Prepare to board the shuttle, gents."
At the Captain's request, Malachi tromps on board the shuttle. His armor, flamer, sword, pack and ecclesiarchal robes weigh almost as much as him. The veteran handles his bulk not with grace, but with ease and practiced motion. Sometimes he wonders if he is more equipment than man.
Shouldering his arms coffer, Ludicus makes a curt motion for the two fire teams to board the shuttle, taking note of anyone slacking or lacking any obvious piece of equipment.
Once everyone is onboard, he will step onto the shuttle himself, last man to enter.
"Slinking it is then..."
Vorgen dispatches a batsman to gather his gear and arrives at the shuttle.
"Welcome to the good ship Atalanta. Departing for a short cruise amongst the myriad moons on our way to Egaria Omega. Release docking clamps."
As the shuttle moves towards Egaria Omega, all aboard watch through the viewports as the orbital insanity plays across the void. Soon you see the planet, a barren dust-bowl, and maneuver the shuttle in for a landing. Your target is a small area on the top of a plateau along the equator. Reentry jars the ship with turbulence.
It takes thirty minutes for the ship to punch through the atmosphere and you get your first real look at the place. Egaria Omega is a windswept hellhole of a world, but no one ever got rich in the Expanse without visiting a few hellholes. The shuttle settles on one of the landing pads just outside the dig site. As the engines wind down, Vorgen announces over the vox that you have arrived. The hatch-doors open and a wash of cold air and glaring light surges in, revealing the smokey landing area. Through the hatch you see a scorched landing field, broken ground blackened from innumerable shuttle and lighter engines. The air smells foul, of chemicals, propellants and cleaning agents, but beneath the odours one would expect of such a place, there's something else.
The instant you set foot on the planet a cold wind blows right through you. But something more than cold assails you. You instantly feel that you should not be here, as if you are intruding on lands long ago claimed by something far older than the human race. Echoes whisper on the wind, just beyond hearing, sending a chill not just through your body, but through your very soul.
You are swiftly met by a squad of mercenary guards.
Malchi sees the merc group as the dust settles and slings his flamer down from his shoulder with a prayer on his lips. [b]'His Will is ever stong, we cannot fail in His sight. The Emperor protects...'[b]
Awareness TN=42
"Greetings, I am Silas Tyr, Rogue Trader, Master of the Adamant Will. These men are my trusted advisors."
"Who administers this place?"
One of the men, a big man with a shaved head and a scarred face, nods at your introduction. He turns to the man next to him. "Go fetch Leerus." With that the man runs off and the remaining resume their stance.
Silas pulls his flask of amasec from his jacket, pulls a swig and then offers the same to the guards. "It's good."